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Arthur E. Waite
|birth_place = Brooklyn, New York |death_date = May |death_place = |death_cause = |resting_place = Bishopsbourne Village, in the county of Kent, England |resting_place_coordinates = |residence = |nationality = British |other_names = |known_for = Rider-Waite Tarot deck |education = |alma_mater = |employer = |occupation = |home_town = |title = |salary = |networth = |height = |weight = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |boards = |religion = |spouse = Ada Lakeman, Mary Broadbent Schofield |partner = |children = Sybil Waite |parents = Captain Charles F. Waite, Emma Lovell |relatives = Frederika Waite |signature = |website = |footnotes = }} Arthur Edward Waite (October 2, 1857 - May 19, 1942) was an English poet, and a scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on occult and esoteric matters. He was the co-creator of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. As his biographer, R.A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of western occultism – viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of proto-science or as the pathology of religion."Gilbert, R.A. A.E. Waite: Magician of Many Parts, Wellingborough, Northhamptonshire, 1987, p. 361. Life Youth Waite was born in the United States. Waite's father, Capt. Charles F. Waite, died when he was very young, and his widowed mother, Emma Lovell, returned to her home country of England, where he was then raised. As they were not well off, Waite was educated at a small private school in North London. When he was 13, he was then educated at St. Charles' College. When he left school to become a clerk he wrote verse in his spare time. The death of his sister, Frederika Waite, in 1874 soon attracted him into psychical research. At 21, he began to read regularly in the Library of the British Museum, studying many branches of esotericism. When Waite was almost 30, he married Ada Lakeman (also called "Lucasta") and they had one daughter, Sybil. Some time after Lucasta's death in 1924, Waite married Mary Broadbent Schofield. He spent most of his life in or near London, connected to various publishing houses, and editing a magazine The Unknown World. Golden Dawn Waite joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in January 1891 after being introduced by E.W. Berridge.King, Modern RM, page 52 He became a Freemason in 1901, and entered the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia in 1902. The Golden Dawn was torn by internal feuding until Waite's departure in 1914; later he formed the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, not to be confused with the Societas Rosicruciana. By that time there existed some half-dozen offshoots from the original Golden Dawn, and as a whole it never recovered.Howe, Ellic,The Magicians of the Golden Dawn, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972 Aleister Crowley, Waite's foe, referred to him as a villainous "Arthwate" in his novel Moonchild and referred to him in his magazine Equinox. Lovecraft has a villainous wizard in his short story "The Thing on the Doorstep" called Ephraim Waite; according to Robert M. Price this character was based on Waite. Author and scholar Waite was a prolific author with many of his works being well received in academic circles. He wrote occult texts on subjects including divination, esotericism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, and ceremonial magic, Kabbalism and alchemy; he also translated and reissued several important mystical and alchemical works. His works on the Holy Grail, influenced by his friendship with Arthur Machen, were particularly notable.Waite, A.E., Shadows of Life and Thought: A Retrospective Review in the Form of Memoirs, London: Selwyn and Blount, 1938Gilbert, R.A., A.E. Waite: Magician of Many Parts, Wellingborough, Northhamptonshire, 1987 A number of his volumes remain in print, The Book of Ceremonial Magic (1911), The Holy Kabbalah (1929), A New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry (1921), and his edited translation of Eliphas Levi's Transcendental Magic, its Doctrine and Ritual (1896) among others by Levi, having seen reprints in recent years. Tarot deck Waite is best known as the co-creator of the popular and widely used Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck and author of its companion volume, the Key to the Tarot (republished in expanded form the following year, 1911, as the Pictorial Key to the Tarot), a guide to Tarot reading.Waite, A.E., The Key to the Tarot, London, 1910 The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot was notable for being one of the first tarot decks to illustrate all 78 cards fully, in addition to the 22 major arcana cards. Golden Dawn member Pamela Colman Smith illustrated the cards for Waite. The deck was first published in 1909. It remains in publication today. Recognition Six of his poems ("At the End of Things," "A Ladder of Life," "Restoration," "How I came to the Sea," "Of Consummation," and "The Morality of the Lost Word") were anthologized in the Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. Publications Poetry *''An Ode to Astronomy, and other poems. London: Hare, 1877. *A Lyric of the Fairy Land, and other poems. London: J.E. Catty, 1879. *Lucasta: Parables and poems. London: Elliott, 1894. *''The Collected Poems of Arthur Edward Waite. (2 volumes), London: William Rider, 1914. Volume I, Volume II Plays *''A Soul's Comedy. London: Redway, 1887. Fiction *''Belle and the Dragon: An elfin comedy. London: James Elliott, 1894. **British Library (Historical Print Editions), 2011. Non-fiction *''Shadows of Life and Thought: A retrospective review in the form of memoirs''. London: Selwyn & Blount, 1938. Alchemy *''The Secret Tradition in Alchemy: Its development and records''. London Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner / New York: Knopf, 1926. Divination *''A Handbook of Cartomancy, Fortune-Telling and Occult Divination''. London: Redway, 1889; 5th edition, revised, 1912. Freemasonry *''The Secret Tradition in Freemasonry]. (2 volumes), London: Rebman, 1912; revised, Rider, 1937. ''Volume I, Volume II. *''A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry (Ars Magna Latomorum) and of cognate instituted mysteries: Their rites, literature, and history''. London: William Rider, 1921. ** New York: Wings Books, 1994. *''Emblematic Freemasonry, and the Evolution of its deeper issues''. London: Rider, 1925. *''Selected Masonic Papers'' (edited by Edward Dunning). Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, UK: Aquarian Press, 1988. Grail *''The Hidden Church of the Holy Graal: Its legends and symbolism considered in their affinity with certain mysteries of initiation and other traces of a secret tradition in Christian times. London: Rebman, 1909. *''The Book of the Holy Graal. London: J.M. Watkins, 1921. *''The Holy Grail, Its legends and symbolism: An explanatory survey of their embodiment in romance literature and a critical study of the interpretations placed thereon''. London: Rider, 1933. *''The Holy Grail; the Galahad quest in the Arthurian literature''. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1961. Kabbalah *''The Doctrine and Literature of the Kabalah''. London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1902. *''The Secret Doctrine in Israel: A study of the Zohar and its connections. London: Rider, 1913. *''The Holy Kabbalah: A study of the secret tradition in Israel. London: Williams & Norgate, 1929. Martinism *''The Life of Louis Claude de Saint-Martin: The unknown philosopher, and the substance of his transcendental doctrine. London: Welby, 1901. *Saint-Martin, the French Mystic, and the Story of modern Martinism. London: Rider, 1922. Rosicrucianism *The Real History of the Rosicrucians: Founded on their own manifestoes, and on facts and documents collected from the writings of initiated brethren. London: G. Redway, 1887. *''The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross. London: William Rider, 1924 of above title Tarot *''The Key to the Tarot: Being Fragments of a Secret Tradition under the Veil of Divination''. London: Rider, 1910 with a deck of cards designed by Waite **reprinted as The Pictorial Key to the Tarot: Being fragments of a secret tradition under the veil of divination (illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith). London: William Rider, 1911. General mysticism & occult spirituality *''The Occult Sciences: A compendium of transcendental doctrine and experiment, embracing an account of magical practices, of secret sciences in connection to magic, of the professors of magical arts, and of modern spiritualism, mesmerism and Theosophy''. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1891. *''Devil Worship in France; or, The question of Lucifer. London: G. Redway, 1896. *''The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts. London: G. Redway, 1898. ** revised as The Book of Ceremonial Magic: Including the rites and mysteries of Goëtic theurgy, sorcery, and infernal necromancy. London: William Rider, 1911. *''A Book of Mystery and Vision. London: P.S. Wellby / New York: Brentano's 1902. *''Studies in Mysticism, and Certain aspects of the secret tradition. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1906. *''Strange Houses of Sleep. London: P.S. Wellby, 1906. *''The Book of Destiny, and the art of reading therein. London: Rider, 1912. *''Raymund Lully : illuminated doctor, alchemist and Christian mystic''. London: William Rider, 1922. *''Lamps of Western Mysticism: Essays on the life of the soul in God''. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1923. Juvenile *''Prince Starbeam: A tale of fairyland''. London: Burns, 1889. *''The Golden Stairs: Tales from the Wonder-world''. London: Theosophical Publishing, 1893. Translated *''The Mysteries of Magic: A digest of the writings of Eliphas Levi''. London: Redway, 1886; 2nd edition revised & enlarged, 1897. *''Collectanea Chemica: Being certain select treatises on alchemy and hermetic'' medicine''. London: James Elliott, 1893.'' *Figulus Benedictus, A Golden and Blessed Casket of Nature’s Marvels. London: James Elliott, 1893. *''The Hermetic Museum Restored and Enlarged''. London: James Elliott, 1893. *Martin Ruland, A Lexicon of Alchemy. London: James Elliott, 1893. *Basilius Valentinus, The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony. London: James Elliott, 1893. *''The Hermetic and Alchemical Writings of Aureolus Philippus Theophrastus Bombast, of Hohenheim, called Paracelsus the Great''. (2 volumes), London: James Elliott, 1894. Volume I: Hermetic Chemistry, Volume II: Hermetic Medicine. *Petrus Bonus of Ferrara, The New Pearl of Great Price. London: James Elliott, 1894. Volume I. *Eliphas Levi, Transcendental Magic: Its doctrine and ritual. London: Redway, 1896. *''The Turba Philosophorum; or, Assembly of the Sages''. London: Redway, 1896. *Eliphas Levi, The History of Magic. London: Rider, 1913. *Etienne Pivert de Senancour, Obermann. London: Welby, 1903. Edited *''The Gift of the Spirit: A selection from the essays of Prentice Mulford''. London Redway, 1898. *James Braid, Neurypnology; or, The Rationale of Nervous Sleep, Considered in Relation with Animal Magnetism or Mesmerism. London: Redway, 1899. *Prentice Mulford, The Gift of Understanding: A Second Series of Essays. London: Philip Wellby, 1907. *''Elfin Music: An anthology of English fairy poetry. London: Scott / New York: T. Whittaker, 1888. **also published as ''Songs and poems of Fairyland: An anthology of English fairy poetry. London & New York: Scott, 1888. *Francis Barrett, Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers. London: Redway, 1888. *''The Alchemical Writings of Edward Kelly''. London: James Elliott, 1893. *''The Works of Thomas Vaughn. London: Theosophical Publishing, 1919 (based on earlier editions of Vaughn by Waite in 1888 & 1910). Collected editions *''Israfel: Letters, visions and poems, London: Allen, 1886.Search results = au:Arthur Edward Waite, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Dec. 5, 2013. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy St. Bonaventure University.Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942): A Selective Bibliography, The Inklings, St. Bonaventure University. Web, Dec. 6, 2013. See also *List of British poets References * Notes External links ;Poems * Arthur Edward Waite in the Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse: "At the End of Things," "A Ladder of Life," "Restoration," "How I came to the Sea," "Of Consummation," and "The Morality of the Lost Word" ;Books * *Arthur Edward Waite at the Online Books Page *Works by Arthur Edward Waite at Internet Archive (scanned books original editions color illustrated) *Works by Arthur Edward Waite at sacred-texts.com (plain text and HTML) *Bibliography of A.E. Waite ;About *Arthur Edward Waite Masonic biography *Arthur Edward Waite in the Encyclopedia of Freemasonry *Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) at GoldenDawnPedia. *"The Masonic Career of A.E. Waite", AQC Vol 99 1986 *Genealogy and links Category:1857 births Category:1942 deaths Category:People from Brooklyn Category:English occult writers Category:Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Category:Mystics Category:Occult tarot Category:English writers Category:19th-century poets Category:English poets Category:English-language poets Category:Mystic poets Category:Poets